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Edwin Sifuna’s political outfit faces a fresh legal fight. Emmanuel Willyngtone Khamala, a member of The Equitable Party, has asked the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal to halt the National Delegates Conference. The meeting is due on Friday, November 13.
Khamala accuses the party’s leaders of handing out posts without following the constitution. He says officials were chosen without elections and without input from registered members. He wants the tribunal to rule the leadership unlawful. He also asks that its activities be frozen until fresh elections are held.
Delegate selection has also come under fire. Khamala claims the party never ran grassroots polls to build branch and county structures. In his view, the delegates lack legitimate backing.
The Linda Mwananchi Movement has pushed back. In a notice to supporters on Thursday, it said only registered delegates from TEP may attend. Those members must have been signed up before the conference notice went out. Each county has a fixed delegate quota tied to its membership.
Friday’s meeting is meant to do more than rubber-stamp leaders. Delegates will approve a proposed name change. They will also endorse other decisions needed to shift the party from TEP to Linda Mwananchi Movement.
This is not the first time the party has been dragged to court. The Registrar of Political Parties initially turned down the Linda Mwananchi name. The office said it looked too much like a party called LINDA. A tribunal later reversed that ruling and sent the application back for reconsideration.
James Onyango Nyangor has also challenged the November 13 vote. He says the required 21-day notice was never issued. Paul Kiragu Gachoka and Pamela Achieng Simwata have raised concerns too. Their objections cover the agenda, delegate selection, and planned changes to the constitution.
The tribunal will now decide whether the party’s leadership and its preparations for Friday’s conference meet constitutional requirements.
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